Australian songwriter Tori Zietsch is gearing up to release her debut album under the Maple Glider moniker in a few short months. To Enjoy Is The Only Thing finds Zietsch armed with little more than an intimate, ethereal voice and understated instrumentation, but the low-key vibe of the music gives the raw power of her songwriting full space to shine. We’ve only heard a handful of tracks from the LP so far, but it’s already shaping up to be one of the most exciting debuts of 2021.
To celebrate the forthcoming album, Zietsch sat down to talk getting tattoos with friends, hating Bacardi, and more in the latest Indie Mixtape 20 Q&A.
What are four words you would use to describe your music?
It’s 2050 and the world hasn’t ended and people are still listening to your music. How would you like it to be remembered?
In a thick country twang.
What’s your favorite city in the world to perform?
Home in Naarm/Melbourne because I get to smoosh my friends faces after.
Who’s the person who has most inspired your work, and why?
If I didn’t have such a beautiful community of people around me it would be much harder to pursue a music career. I’d still be writing sappy songs, you’d probably just never have heard them.
Where did you eat the best meal of your life?
I love food sooo much. I’ve had so many best meals. Sometimes the best meals are just snacks you eat in a bubble bath. It feels kind of cheeky but so great. In Portugal I’d eat a juicy peach for breakfast each morning and I was so damn happy. And campfire meals! Don’t get me started. I remember one time camping in France and we ate chestnuts and camembert and fish that had been smoked on the fire. Just wow. The other week my partner and I went for a walk and we ended up spending most of the time picking blackberries and then made blackberry and apple pie and it was so good. Also when you’re with a friend and you decide to be fancy and eat oysters and drink sparkling wine and you feel like the moment will never end and maybe you’re just fancy forever now and then the bubbles start to wear off and you’re like “where are the hot chips at?”
What album do you know every word to?
Haha. No album. I’m the worst. I might think I know all the lyrics to some of my favourite albums but even then most of the time I’m probably just making weird sounds that feel like words but aren’t.
What was the best concert you’ve ever attended?
I’ll tell you the best concert I never attended was Julia Holter in Brighton. I went for a nap a couple of hours before the show’s start and didn’t wake until 11pm. I’m still upset about it.
What is the best outfit for performing and why?
The more fabulous the better. I can be pretty tacky. My favourite are my purple glitter platform boots with stars on them. I bought them at a vintage shop when I lived in the UK and they are completely ridiculous but also amazing.
Who’s your favorite person to follow on Twitter and/or Instagram?
@mooodbored and @animalsdoingthings on instagram.
What’s your most frequently played song in the van on tour?
I haven’t really had that experience yet, but I definitely want everything Chaka Khan.
What’s the last thing you Googled?
MASS LESS PARTICLES.
What album makes for the perfect gift?
Nina Simone – In Concert.
Where’s the weirdest place you’ve ever crashed while on tour?
Living room floor of an after-party I really didn’t want to be at haha.
What’s the story behind your first or favorite tattoo?
I have 3 different matching BFF tattoos. One is a lil love heart on my ankle and is my first ever tattoo that I got with one of my best friends in her ex’s tattoo shop during a night out. My most recent matching tattoo is a ‘Fang it’ tattoo on my arm that Madison Griffiths (Naarm-based writer/artist) stick and poked for my good friend and I on her bedroom floor and it was the best.
What artists keep you from flipping the channel on the radio?
Diana Ross, Adrianne Lenker, Cher.
What’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for you?
Mum went through childbirth for me so that probably tops it
What’s one piece of advice you’d go back in time to give to your 18-year-old self?
Bacardi is disgusting, put that down.
What’s the last show you went to?
My friend Amarina Waters played at a bar near my house called Some Velvet Morning and she made me cry twice and it was very beautiful.
What movie can you not resist watching when it’s on TV?
Look I don’t have free to air TV and this isn’t a movie but how good is PEN15?
To Enjoy Is The Only Thing is out June 25 via Partisan Records. Pre-order here.